The U.S. had James Comey. Canada has five bureaucrats on alert for an ‘election incident’

The Canadian protocol is intended to avoid the dilemma that faced the FBI director during the 2016 presidential campaign, when he was confronted with Russian interference

An impartial group of senior bureaucrats will warn Canadians if malicious actors try to manipulate the outcome of this fall’s federal election.

The Trudeau government announced the “critical election incident protocol” on Wednesday as part of a series of new measures aimed at ensuring a fair election on Oct. 21, free from malign foreign interference.

Under the protocol, five senior public servants will have the authority to decide when an incident is egregious enough to warrant going public in the midst of a campaign. They will not need the approval of their political masters who could have a partisan interest in disclosing — or withholding — the information.

Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry (MNRF) protects Ontario’s biodiversity while promoting economic opportunities in the resource sector. The ministry conducts scientific research and uses its findings to promote sustainability of Ontario’s forests, fish and wildlife resources, to protect the province from forest fires, floods and droughts and to lead the management of Ontario’s Crown lands, water, oil, gas, salt and aggregates resources, including making Crown land available for renewable energy projects.